A us-regionsman has been sentenced to life in prison for a killing that went unsolved for more than four decades until a natural-science match helped investigators crack the case.
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Charles Ugvine Coleman pleaded guilty to crime Tuesday in the March 1976 death of Elizabeth Ann Howell Wilson before his trial started at the Fairfield County Courthouse, The Herald of Rock Hill reported.
Pipette placing sample into vial for extracting DNA evidence in forensic lab.
(Andrew Brookes via Getty Images)
The 66-year-old was charged in October 2020. He entered an Alford plea, meaning he doesn’t admit guilt but accepts the punishment of a guilty plea because it’s likely he would be convicted, according to Sixth Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman.
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A crime charge was dismissed as part of the negotiated plea, according to Coleman’s lawyer, Public Defender William Frick.
Coleman could be eligible for parole in less than nine years because the court had to apply laws that were in place at the time of the crime” target=”_blank”>crime<
Coleman was charged after DNA from a September 2020 conviction matched samples from the 1976 crime scene.